Democratic Party on Principles & Values

Party Platform

FactCheck: "God" removed from DNC platform

Guess what? God's name has been removed from the Democratic platform. This is the paragraph that was in the 2008 platform:

"We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, & interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work
hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential."

Now the words "God-given" have been removed. The paragraph has been restructured to say this:

"We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the
most prosperous nation on Earth--the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us."

[Note: As a result of this report,
the DNC voted to re-insert the term 'God' into the Platform. A voice vote was taken on Sept. 5th; the NAY vote was greater than the YEA vote, but the chairman called for YEA].

There is more we need to do; let's continue what we started

Four years ago, Democrats, independents, and many Republicans came together as Americans to move our country forward. We were in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the previous administration had put two wars on our
nation's credit card, and the American Dream had slipped out of reach for too many.

Today, our economy is growing again, al-Qaeda is weaker than at any point since 9/11, and our manufacturing sector is growing for the first time in more than a decade.
But there is more we need to do, and so we come together again to continue what we started.

Democrats see a young country continually made stronger by the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity in the world, and a nation of people drawn to our
shores from every corner of the globe. We believe America can succeed because the American people have never failed and there is nothing that together we cannot accomplish.

Trout Fishers: 1990s generation of foreign policy wonks

Every August, America's leading foreign policy experts gathered together in Colorado for meetings of the Aspen Strategy group. Several attendees from the Clinton administration liked to go off fishing together. They were dubbed "the Trout Fishers."

The Trout Fishers were the Democrats' up-and-coming foreign policy team. They were in their 40s and 50s, in the vanguard of figuring out what the Democrats should do in foreign policy once they returned to office.

The Trout Fishers represented the
generation of Democrats who learned how to run foreign policy during the 1990s. They were eager to show that the Democrats were not a bunch of pacifists, that they understood national security issues and were willing to use American force where necessary
--though sometimes in different ways and for different purposes than the Republicans. Among other things, the Trout Fishers believed in the use of military action for humanitarian purposes, such as to stop genocide or ethnic cleansing.

Democratic promise to address 6 important issues in Congress

In 2006, the Democratic Party promised to address six important issues in Congress. Now that Democrats are back in charge in the US House and Senate, you can keep up with the Democrats as they follow through on their promise for a new direction.

Honest Government & Open Government

Real Security

Energy Independence

Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence

A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone

Secure Retirement

Source: 2006 Democratic Party Congressional Promise
, Nov 1, 2006

New vision for America: strong at home, respected abroad

We are mindful that the challenges of our times are new and profound. For the first time in generations, we have been attacked on our own shores. Our brave men and women in uniform are still in harmís way in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war against terror.
Our alliances are frayed, our credibility in doubt. Our great middle class is hard-pressed. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and millions more are struggling under the mounting burden of lifeís everyday costs.
In Washington, the President and his allies stubbornly press on, without regard to the needs of our people or the challenges of our times. It is time for a new direction.
John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democratic Party bring a new vision for America - strong at home, respected abroad. An America that offers opportunity, rewards responsibility, and rejoices in diversity.

Democrats need bold, innovative ideas, not ideology

[Al From and Bruce Reed, two pundits from the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, write]: The party's problem on Election Day 2002 wasn't ideology; it was ideas. Few voters said Democrats had a clear plan to cure the nation's ills.
Here are 5 lessons Democrats can learn from this election:

Democrats need to appeal to all Americans, not just narrow interests. The Democratic message was a tired appeal to groups.

Democrats need to expand their base, not just to energize it.
The Democratic base just isn't big enough to win. Moving left is counter-productive.

Democrats need to get the big things right. That means national security and the economy.

Democrats need to offer bold, innovative reforms, not incremental change.
A bold tax overhaul would be a good start.

Democrats need to look outside Washington for answers. We have a great opportunity to do this with the increased number of Democratic governors.

Safety net for no poverty & no discrimination

The Democratic agenda has gone through a process of "moderation," "reinvention," and "triangulation." But the core Democratic principles are fundamentally different from Republican principles.

Historically, the Democratic Party has been responsible for
our greatest national advancements, and a common philosophical framework drove these initiatives. These are the principles that allowed Franklin Roosevelt to create Social Security in the 1930's and that led the major progressive movements in this
nation's history--civil rights, women's rights, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the Marshall Plan, the war on poverty, disability rights, and the race to the moon.

Democratic success means a country where no child sleeps in poverty, where there are no
victims of discrimination, where everyone has clean, decent and affordable housing, where each child receives a high-quality public education, where there is a safety net for people who require assistance.

Appoint judges committed to Constitutional rights

We will fight to end Republican delays in the Senate that have kept qualified nominees, especially women and minorities, waiting years for a Senate vote. Democrats oppose efforts to strip the federal courts of jurisdiction to decide critical issues
affecting workers, immigrants, veterans and others of access to justice. Gore will appoint justices to the Supreme Court who have a demonstrated commitment to the individual rights protected by our Constitution.